Page 92 of Blood Bound
Then reality crashes in.
I whirl around, my heart hammering. “Darick! What are you—?”
The words die in my throat as I take in the sight before me. Darick stands there, a soft smile on his face, his skin glowing in the morning light. Sunlight. My eyes widen in horror as I realize the danger he’s in.
“Oh, my God!” I gasp, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him back inside. “We need to get you out of the sun! How did you—? Why aren’t you—?” I can’t even form a coherent sentence, panic overwhelming me.
But Darick doesn’t budge. His smile grows wider as he gently takes my hand, stopping my frantic attempts to drag him to safety.
“Rowan,” he says softly, his voice gentle. “It’s okay. Look.”
I pause, really looking at him for the first time. His skin isn’t burning. There’s no smoke, no sign of pain or discomfort. He’s standing in direct sunlight, and he’s…fine?
What the hell is going on?
“I don’t understand,” I whisper, reaching up to touch his face. His skin is warm, warmer than I’ve ever felt it. “How is this possible? You’re a vampire. You can’t be in the sun! Or…” I pause. “Is this…is this because you’re ancient?”
Darick takes a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine as he shakes his head. “I gave it up, beautiful.”
I feel my eyebrows pull together, still afraid that at any moment, he’s going to go up in flames. “Gave it up? Gave what up?”
“Immortality,” he says simply, reaching up to stroke my cheek.
My mouth drops open. “You what?”
“I’m not afraid of the sun because I’m no longer a vampire. I’m mortal. Just like you.” He pauses as he says it, his eyes searching my face as if looking for something.
“Mortal,” I repeat. “You mean you’re not going to live forever?”
Duh, Rowan, that’s what mortal means.
“I’m going to live as long as I need to. With you. If…if you’ll have me.” There’s the faintest hint of uncertainty in his voice.
“But…but why?” I ask, not realizing I’m not answering his question.
“Because I want to do this,” he waves a hand at the sky, “with you every day. And I want to watch the sun set with you, too. And see our children playing out in the daylight.”
“Children?” I choke out the word. I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“You don’t want children?”
“Of course I want children!” I’m still stupefied, and he’s confusing me even more. “But…but…” I shake my head stupidly. “But I don’t understand. How?”
“It was my choice.” His lips quirk up. “To give it all up to save you. When I gave you the pendant, I gave you my lifetimes. All of them. It was in the prophecy.”
I stare at Darick, trying to process his words. My mind whirls with questions, but I can’t seem to form them into rational sentences. Finally, I manage to ask, “What do you mean by ‘prophecy’?”
Darick takes a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine. “There was an ancient prophecy, Rowan. It spoke of a vampire who would give up his immortality for a witch of your bloodline. The pendant…it contained a powerful spell tied to this prophecy. There’s a lot more to the story, and I’m sure your grandmother will tell you when the time is right.”
Gran. I should have known she had a hand in this.
I gnaw on my lip for a moment. “And you…you chose this? For me?”
He nods, a gentle smile playing on his lips. “I faced a choice: my vampire existence or a mortal life with you. The weight of centuries, Rowan…the endless goodbyes, watching everyone I cared about age and die while I remained unchanged. I stopped feeling love a dozen lives ago. I was ready for a change. Ready for you.”
My heart races as I begin to grasp the magnitude of what he’s done. “But why? Why would you give up everything for me?”
Darick cups my face in his hands, his touch warm and alive. “Because in all my years, I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel for you. The prophecy would only allow this transformation if the right vampire gave his life for one of your lineage. I wasn’t entirely sure it had worked until I walked out into the sunshine with you just now.”